The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies is largest nongovernmental organization in the United States devoted exclusively to research and training to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

As Spector points out in his essay, despite its many faults, the Syrian government has hitherto been careful with its stockpile of chemical weapons. With the recent public uprisings and uncertainty about the future of the Assad regime, Spector and his colleagues raise significant questions about the continued safe handling of those weapons. Spector’s article was subsequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal (August 27), and the Jerusalem Post (August 29).